Machines



1. E. AND A. A. HENES AND A. NELSON. AUTOMATIC CLAMPING MECHANISNI FORBOTTLE FILLING MACHINES.

APPLlcATloN man FEB.1,1911. y 1,321,916. Patented Nov. 18, 1919. 2SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. E. AND A. A. HENES AND A. NELSON. AUTOMATIC CLAMPING mEcHANlsM FORBomE'FlLuNG MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED FEB.1. i917.

y1,321,911 6. y Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

V 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

53 L/e g JOHN F. IIDNFs, .ALFRED e. HENFs, aND ANTON NELSON, oFMFNONINFF, MICHIGAN,

.assIeNons vro HENFs AND KFLDFF. ooMraNtr, oF NFNOFIINFF, MICHIGAN, ACo- FAn'rNFnsnIr eoivrrosnn OF JOHN HFNFs, JOHN F. rIFNFs, AND ALFRED A.IIFNFs.

AUTOMATIC CLAMPING MECHANISM FOR BOTTLE-FILLING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1s, 191e.

Application mea February 7, 1917. serial No. 147,042.

.To all fui/wm 'it may concern:

Be itknown that we, JOHN E. HnNEs, ALFRED A. HFNns, and ANTON NELSON,citizens of the United States, residing at Menominee, in the county ofMenominee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulPimprovements in Automatic Clamping Mechanism for Bottle-Filling Machinesand the like, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to automatic clamping mechanism for bottlefilling machines and the like, and the objects of the invention are toprovide a simple and reliable mechanism for automatically clampingobjects such as bottles when being filled on bottle filling machines,for example.

For the sake of simplicity and clearness of illustration anddescription, the invention is illustrated applied to, and combined with,a bottle filling machine, but it is not intended by such illustration7and the description contained in this specication, to limit the use ofthe invention to bottle filling machines.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification and form apart thereof, which drawings illustrate an embodiment of this invention,and on which drawings the same reference characters are used todesignate the same parts wherever they may appear in each of the severalviews, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a bottle filling machine,some parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken onthe line 2*-2, on Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by thearrows, parts being broken away; Fig. 3 is an elevation of a part of themachine; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4, on Fig. 1,looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and Fig. 5 is avertical section on the line 5-'5 on Fig. 4 looking in the directionindicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral 1 designates a basering, 2 a standard and 3 a sleeve which is secured to and supported bythe standard. A yoke 4 is secured to the standard 2 and is provided withbearings for a driving shaft, 5 having a worm 6. The worin 6 meshes witha worm gear 7 secured upon a rotatable pipe 8 located within the sleeve3. A spider 9 is secured to the pipe 8 so as to rotate therewith and thespider 9 supports the pipe 8 and the revoluble parts of the machine bybearing upon the antifriction devices 10 which are located between racemembers 11 and 12, as will be readily understood from an inspection ofFig. 1 of the drawings. A tank 13 is secured to the upper end of thepipe 8 and a liquid pipe 14 is located inside of the pipe 8 andcommunicates wit-h the interior of the tank 13 to supply the liquid tothe tank for filling bottles. A compressed air pipe 15 also communicateswith the interior of the tank 13 to deliver air under pressure into thetank above the liquid therein, when the liquid is charged with gas, inOrder to prevent the escape of gas from the liquid in the well-kownmanner. The tank 13 contains the float 16. The yoke 4 is provided with adownwardly projecting guide or bearing 17 for the lower end of therotatable pipe 8, and is also provided with a reduced extension 18`which forms a liquid tight bearing or guide for the liquid pipe 14. Acap 19 is screwed onto this extension and forms an air tight guide orbearing for the compressed air pipe 15. This construction is such that,while the yoke 4 and the cap 19 remain fixed, the rota table pipe 8, theliquid pipe 14 and the compressed air pipe 15 are freely rotatable.Liquid is supplied to the liquid pipe 14 and the tank 13 ,through thepipe 20 and compressed air, or any other suitable gas or gases, issupplied to the pipe 15 and the tank 13 by the pipe 21. The pipe 15extends up into the top of the tank 13 and the escape of compressed airfrom the pipe 15 into the tank is controlled by a valve 22. The float 16is provided with a sleeve 23, which surrounds the pipe 15 and serves asa guide for the float and compressed air is admitted from the compressedair pipe 15 into the tank 13 when the valve 22 is lifted by thesleeve23, as the` float 16 rises. The float 16 is hollow and anopen-ended pipe 24 which projects above the level of the` liquid in thetank affords communication between the interior of the iioat and theinterior of the tank 13 so that the air pressure is the same on theinside of the float and on the outside thereof. The cover 25 of the tank13 is provided with an air vent 26, the Outlet of which is controlled bya cock 27 so that the rapidity of the escape of the compressed air fromthe interior of the tank may be adjusted to suit working conditions. AValve 28 controls the escape of the compressed air from the interior ofthe tank 13 through the air vent 26 and the cock 27 and is controlled inits movements by the lever 29 which engages with the top ofv the sleeve23, the construction and 'arrangement being such that when air is to bedischarged from the tank 13 the valve 22 is closed to prevent theadmission of compressed air into the tank and the valve 28 is opened topermitJ the escape of the compressed airfrom the tank so that liquid canflow into the tank through the pipes 20 and 14 to maintaina'substantially uniform level of liquid in the tank. The tank 13 isprovided with Va plurality of iilling heads 30, siphons, and sealingheads or abutment members 31. The siphons are composed of pipes 32 and33, which screw into screw threaded communicating bores in thesupporting and guide blocks 34. The sealing heads 31 are secured to Ythesupporting and guide blocks 34 and are provided with packing 35 to makeair tight seals for the necks of bottles. Air ducts 36 through thesupporting and guide blocks 34 permit air to enter the bottles from thetank 13 to establish the same air pressure in the bottles as the airpressure which exists in the tank k13 or to permit the air vto escapefrom the bottles into the tank 13 as the bottles are filled with theliquid. The communication between the interior of the tank 13 and theair ducts 36 is controlled by valves 37 which are raised from theirseats by levers 38 when the supporting` and guide blocks 34 are raisedby bottles being clamped against the sealing heads 31. Springs 39 retainthe supporting and guide blocks 34-in their lowermost positions exceptwhen raised by bottles as just described. Liquid valves 40 prevent the4flow of liquid from the tank 13 through the siphons except atsuch timesas the supporting and guide blocks 34 and the tubes carried thereby areraised andV after the air pressure in the bottles has been substantiallyequalized with ,the air pressure in the tank 13. Valves 41 are providedto let the air escape Vfromthe bottles and thereby reduce the airpressure in Ya `bottle to reestablish theV columnsl of liquid inafsiphon if, by any means, a siphon liquid column has ceased to exist.The machine is provided with centeringguides 42 which are swung up toclear the bottles by a cam member 43 adjacent to the dischargechute 44by which the bottles are automatically removed from the machine.

The bottles are supported Aupon bottle rests or Jaw members 45 which arecapable of being'moved automatically soasto clamp the bottles againstthe sealing heads or The Jaw members by nut members 47 and cross heads48. The spider 9 is illustrated as provided with a peripheral ring 49which is pierced with apertures 50. Guide rods 51 depend from theperipheral ring 49 and are united at their lower ends by tie bars,52.The cross heads 48 are provided with antifriction rollers 53 to engagewith the cam member 54 to depress the bottle rests or j aw members 45,or move them away from the sealing heads or abutment members 31.Flanged, screwthreaded bushings 55 pass through the apertures 50, screwinto the nut members 47 and clamp brackets 56 securely to the peripheralring 49. Each of these brackets 56 has a depending ear 57 on one sideand a separable iixed plate provided with a depending ear 58 on theother side, and these ears support shafts 59 which are secured againstrotation in any suitable manner as, for example, by set screws 60.Pulley wheels 6l are revolubly mounted upon the shafts 59 and areprovided with grooves 62, ratchet teeth 63 and central cavities 64, inwhich are casings 65 containing springs 66. The casings 65 are keyed tothe pulley wheels 61 by keys 67. The springs 66 are an ordinary form ofspiral springs, such as are used for clocks and spring motors, and oneend of a spring is secured to a shaft 59 by a screw 68, while the otherend of the spring is secured to a casing 65 by a rivet 69. As the shafts59 are fixed against rotation, rotation of the pulley wheels 61 in onedirection winds up the springs 66 and the springs 66 can rotate thepulley wheels 61 in the opposite direction against any resistance lessthan the power exerted by the springs. Flexible members 70 are fastenedto the pulley wheels 61 and to the cross heads 48 and, before theseiiexible members are fastened to the cross heads 48, the springs 66 areput under sufiicient tension to raise the cross heads 48, the rods 46,the bottle rests or jaw members 45, and the bottles up into engagementwith the sealing heads or abutments 31 and to continue the upwardmovement imtil the sealing` heads or abutments are stopped by thefilling heads 30. In order that filled bottles may be removed from themachine and empty bottles placed on the machine to be filled, thebottles, the bottle rests or jaw members 45, the rods 46, the crossheads 48 and the iiexible members 70 are pulled down during the rotationof the rotatable parts of the machine by the antifrietion rollers 53engaging against the cam face 71 of the cam member 54, and these partsare held down for the requisite length of time by the antifrictionrollers 53 running along under the horizontal part 72 of the cam memberThen the antifriction. rollers 53 strike against the cam face 71k of thecam member 54, which is stationary,l and are forced. downward thereby,the springs 66 are wound up or put under tension, `soi that, as theantifriotion rollers 53 ride out from under the horizontal part 72 ofthe cam member 54, the springs 66 will unwind and elevate the bottles,the bottle rests or j aw members 45, the rods t6 and the cross heads`4,8,in a .manner which will be readily understood. The cam face 78 ofthe cam member 54 prevents the bottles from being moved suddenly up intocontact with the sealing heads or abutment members 31.`

Rocker arms 74: are loosely mounted upon the shafts 59 outside of theears 57 and arms 7 o are seemed thereto and are loosely mounted on theother ends of the shafts 59 outside of the ears 58. rlhe rocker arms 74carry ratchet members 76 which are movable longitudinally of said rockerarms and which are provided with ratchet teeth to engage with theratchet teeth 68 i on the ,pulley wheels 61. Springs 77 normally keepthe ratchet members 76 in such positions that their ratchet teeth engagewith the ratchet teeth 63 of the pulley wheels 61, but the ratchetmembers 76 are formed with depending lugs 7 8 which carry antifriotionrollers 79 which engage behind a releasing member 80, provided withcamends 81 and 82, during a part of the rotation of the machinecorresponding generally to the part of the rotation of the machineduring which the antifriction rollers 53 are passing under the cammember 5st. The releasing` member 8O is so placed that it pulls theratchet members 76 back against the tension of the springs 77 far enoughsothat the ratchet teeth on the ratchet members are freed fromengagement with the ratchet teeth 63 on the pulley wheels 61. The camend 81 of the releasing member 80 should engage the autifriction rollers7 E) and disengage the ratchet members 76 from the ratchet teeth of thepulley wheels 61 beforethe antifriotion roller of a. particular clampingunit engages with the cam member 5st. Rods 83 provided with heads 84pass through holes in brackets 56 and are pivoted to the rocker arms74.Parts of these rods are screw threaded and are provided with nuts 85 sothat springs 86, which surround the rods 83 and are held between thebrackets 56 and the mits 85, can be adjusted to the required tension forthe clamping ctlort required. lt will be apparent from an inspection ofthe construction shown on the right hand side of Fig. 1 of the drawingsthat the springs 86, which are of the open or compression type, tend toforce the rocker arms 74: away from the brackets 56 and in so doingexert a powerful upward tension on the flexible members 70, because therocker arms 741- are locked to the pulley wheels 61 by the ratchet teethon the ratchet members 76 engaging with the ratchet teeth 63 on thepulley wheels 61. The

springs 86 can` be made short and very powerful in this mechanismbecause these springs are only relied upon to secure the `final clampingeffect desired, as the range of preliminary clamping movement desired isobtained by the comparatively light springs 66.

Therockei.' arms 7 Ll-.are provided with antifriotion rollers 87 to rollup on a track 88 provided with the cam ends 89 and 90 to compress thesprings 86 by a sufficient amount to provide for the clamping action ofthese springs; The lifting of the rocker arms 74, or the compression ofthe springs 86, when the antifriotion rollers 86 roll up on track 88,also dinflinishes the friction betweenthe ratchet teeth on the ratchetmembers 76 and the ratchet teeth on the pulley sealing heads or abutmentmembers 31, these sealing heads and the supporting and `guide blocks 84,and pipes 32 and 33 carried thereby, are raised untily the sealing headsare stopped by the filling heads 30, the valves 37 are opened toequalize the air pressures in the bottles and in the tank 13, and theliquid `valves 40 open permitting the beer to siphon from the tank 13into the bottles.

rlhe bottle filling mechanism forms no part `of this invention and for amore complete description of the construction and operation of thebottle filling mechanism reference may be had to United States LettersPatent, No. 1,166,520, granted January et, 1916.

The operation of the clamping mecha-4 nism is as follows. Assuming thata bottle is firmly clamped by the spring 86 between the sealing head orabutment member 81 and the bottle rest `or jaw member 45, as

shown on the right hand side of Fig. 1 ofv the drawings and that therevolving parts of the machine are revolving in the direction shown bythe arrow on Fig. 2 of the drawings then, when an antifriotion roller 87strikes the cam end'89 of the track 88, the antifriotion roller willride up on the track 88, thereby elevating the rocker arm 7a andcompressing the spring 86. It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2of the drawings that the releasing member 80 is shorter than the track88. When the antifriotion roller 87 has mounted the cam end 89 and is onthe track 88, the antifriotion roller 7 9 engages with the cam end 81 iof the releasing member 8O and is moved backward carrying with it `theratchet member 7 6 against the tension of the spring 7 7 1 and releasingthe ratchet teeth of the ratchet member '76 from the ratchet teeth ofthe pulley wheel 61. The spring 66 now keeps `the bottle rest or jawmember 45, and the bottle in their elevated positions until theantifriction rollery 53 strikes against the cam face 7l of the cammember 54, and is forced down under the same, at which time the crosshead 48,*the rodf46, the bottle rest or jaw member 45, and the bottleare lowered or removed from the sealing head or abutment member 31.YDuring this movement the spring 66 is `wound up and the spring 39 forcesthe supporting and guide block 34 down with the parts connectedtherewith. The bottle rest or jaw member remains in its lowermostposition as long as the antifriction roller 53 is traveling under thehorizontal part 72of the cam member 54, so that ample time is aorded forremoving the filled bottle from the bottle rest or jaw member 45 andplacing an empty bottle thereon. When the antifrictionroller 53 rollsout from under the horizontal part 7 2 of the cam member 54, the spring66 immediately commences to unwind andv lift the cross head 48, the rod46, the bottle rest or jaw member 45 and the bottle, as fast aspermitted by the cam face 73 of Ythe cam member 54, until the neck ofthe bottle contacts with the sealing head 31, when the supporting' andguide block 34 and the pipes 32 and 33 connected therewith are alsolifted'until the sealing; head or abutment member contacts with thefilling head 30. At this time the antifriction roller 7 9 reaches theend of the releasing member 80 and runs oflI overthe cam end 82 thereofpermitting the spring7 7 to move the ratchet member 76 so that its teethengage with the ratchet teeth of the pulley wheel 61. Immediatelythereafter the antifriction roller 87 runs 0E the cam end 90 of theVtrack 88 and the spring 86 is permitted to expand and rock the pulleywheel 61 to eXert the required tension upon the flexible member 70 toclamp the bottle lirmly between the bottle rest-or jaw member 45 and thesealing head or abutment member 31.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with an abutment member of a movable jaw member,means tending to move the movable jaw member toward the abutment memberat all times, su-pplemental means of greater power to tend to move themovable jaw member toward the abutment member, and means to disconnectsaid supplemental means from the movable jaw member.

2. The combination with an abutment member of a movable jaw member,means tending to move the movable jaw member toward the abutment memberat all times, means to move the movable jaw member away from theabutment member, supplemental means of greater power to tend to move themovable jaw member toward the abutment member, and means to disconnectsaid supplemental means from the movable jaw member.

3. The combination with an abutment member of a movable jaw member, aspring connected with said jaw member for moving said jaw member towardsaid abutment member, a cam for moving said jaw member away from saidabutment member against the tension of said spring, a second spring forforcing said jaw member toward said abutment member, and means forreleasing said jaw member from the action of said second spring.

4. The combination with a jaw member and an abutment member, which areboth movable while maintaining their relative positions with respect toeach other, of a spring for moving the jaw member toward the abutmentmember, a cam member for moving the jaw member away from the abutmentmember against the tension of said spring, a fixed releasing member anda fixed track, a second spring for firmly clamping an object between thejaw member and the abutment member and means coperating with saidreleasing member and said track for relieving said jaw member from thetension of said second spring.

In witness whereof we hereto aiix our signatures.

' JNO. E. HENES.

ALFRED A. HENES. ANTON NELSON.

